Sanskrit Lesson
KriyA Overview
A structured guide to dhAtus, lakAras, puruSa–vacana, and how Sanskrit verbs encode time, mood, and the doer.
KriyA Overview
A structured guide to dhAtus, lakAras, puruSa–vacana, and how Sanskrit verbs encode time, mood, and the doer.
Every Sanskrit verb form begins with a dhAtu – a verbal root that carries the core sense of the action, such as भू (to be), गम् (to go), पठ् (to read), or कृ (to do). KriyA-zabda are the inflected, sentence-ready forms that arise when we add prefixes, verb markers, and endings (tiG-pratyayas) to these roots.
LakAras (लकाराः) express time and mood – such as लट् (present), लङ् (past), लृट् (future), लोट् (imperative), विधिलिङ् (potential), and others. Each form then splits into puruSa (person – प्रथम, मध्यम, उत्तम) and vacana (number – एकवचन, द्विवचन, बहुवचन).
“suptiGantaM padam” – what counts as a word?
PaNini teaches in सुप्तिङन्तं पदम्। (१.४.१४) that a pada is something that ends in either a sup suffix (for nouns) or a tiG suffix (for verbs). That is why verbs are often called tiG-anta padani.
“bhUvadayo dhatavaH” – the list of roots
The work called DhAtupATha lists over two thousand dhAtus. PaNini summarises this in the sUtra भूवादयो धातवः। (१.३.१) meaning “bhU and the rest are called dhAtus.”
How to use this while learning
- DhAtu (root) + pada (parasmai/Atmanepada/ubhayapadi) + lakAra + tiG-ending = full kriyA form.
- Same dhAtu, different lakAra → different time or mood. Same lakAra, different puruSa/vacana → different subject (I/you/he/they).
- Mastering a few core dhAtus across lakAras gives you patterns you can reuse for hundreds of other verbs.
LakAra – Time and tense (kAla)
A root by itself only gives the core sense. To show who performs the action, when it takes place, and how many people are involved, Sanskrit uses lakAras, verb systems conventionally marked with the sound “ल्”. They help encode both kAla (time) and, in some cases, artha (mode or intent).
भूते – Past
These lakAras express different shades of past time, including ordinary past usage and events not directly witnessed.
वर्तमाने – Present
The लट् lakAra is used for present-time action and is the simple present usually taught first: भवति, पठति, गच्छति.
भविष्यत् – Future
These lakAras describe future action, from the ordinary future to a more remote or formally envisaged future.
Artha – Moods of the verb
Besides time, Sanskrit verbs also carry artha, the speaker’s mode or intention: command, request, possibility, blessing, or condition. These are expressed through special lakAras.
लोट् – Imperative
Used when we directly tell someone to do something: orders, appeals, and instructions.
विधिलिङ् – Potential
Very important in Sanskrit: it expresses what should be done, or what is appropriate, rather than what simply happens.
आशिर्लिङ् – Benedictive
Used for blessings and auspicious wishes – a natural fit for mantra and prayer language.
लृङ् – Conditional
Used when actions depend on a condition: ‘If he were to go, then…’
Out of these, विधिलिङ् is especially common in texts and should be recognised early. It often conveys obligations, recommendations, or things that ought to be done.
DhAtu forms explorer
Once the basic ideas are clear, the next step is to see how real dhAtus behave across lakAras, padas, persons, and numbers. Use the full explorer on the next page to compare roots like भू, गम्, पठ्, कृ, and others in actual conjugated tables.
